Crytek Focuses on the Future with New “VR First” Academic Initiative

The creators of CRYENGINE will provide full source code access for free and equip a new generation of talent to explore the power and potential of VR

Seeking to nurture grassroots virtual reality development worldwide, Crytek today announced the launch of its new VR First program.

Under the initiative, Crytek will partner with academic institutions to provide state-of-the-art technology and facilities for students and researchers looking to explore the power and potential of VR.

Beneficiaries of the VR First program will not only enjoy full source code access to Crytek’s CRYENGINE development suite, but also free use of hardware from VR First affiliates.

VR First seeks to empower the development talent of tomorrow by ensuring academic institutions around the world are equipped to support their ambitions in this exciting new field. The initial VR First Lab opens its doors today at Istanbul’s Bahçeşehir University and will act as a pilot destination for the scheme. Crytek and the program’s affiliate hope to ensure every VR First lab facilitates users to play a key part in shaping the future of VR.

Crytek is an independent videogame developer, publisher and technology provider with headquarters in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and seven other studios around the world. Established in 1999, Crytek has created multiple award-winning titles, including the original Far Cry, the Crysis series, Ryse: Son of Rome and Warface. All of Crytek's games are developed using CRYENGINE, the company's cutting-edge 3D game technology, which is also the first choice of other leading developers and licensees when creating games for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation®4, and Android. Crytek's ongoing growth in the games-as-a-service market has extended the company's reach as they continue to deliver top quality interactive experiences to players through self-publishing platforms online.